Broken
by Evil Excalibur
Summary: What happens when your feelings get in the way of your life's ambition? Which would you choose. Rated M for strong violence.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own…blah blah you guys know, otherwise you wouldn't have found this story in the first place…stare

**Broken**

**Prologue:**

The sky was dark, rain poured as if it was torn apart. Far away in the middle of nowhere, a lonely man stood surrounded by a gang of thieves.

"Where is it?" The man spoke aloud.

He wore a long coat with two belts across his bare, well built torso, black pants and wooden sandals. His hair was long and black and a white mask with a red symbol, however unrecognizable behind his hair. One of the thieves stepped forward, sword in hand.

"Neither of us knows what you're talking about"

The masked man slowly unsheathed his sword as well. It was a slightly long katana with two blades instead of one. He held it firmly towards the thief's face, barely touching his cheek.

"I'll say it again, where is it?!"

"I don't have time for this."

One of the thieves behind the masked man lunged forward in an attempt to strike him down. Without notice, he fell on the floor and began coughing out blood, until his body inexplicably fell apart and he finally died.

The other teammates stood astonished. Their friend had just died just for walking close to this guy.

"Now do you understand your situation?"

The Masked Man's words were harsh, but at the same time they were calm and collected, as if he had done this many times before.

Panicked, all of the other gang members attacked at once, including the one who had spoken. They were all engulfed in a bright light and before they could do anything about it, most were already lying on the floor in pieces, while the others were severely injured.

"What…happened?"

Asked one of them with a terrified look on his face, before letting out one long relieved sigh…his last one.

Alas, only the masked man stood on the battlefield, alone yet again. It wasn't the first time he had dipped his hands in blood. Regrettably, it wasn't the last one either, not until he found that which he was looking for so eagerly.

"Next is the Man Slayer…I hope he's the last one"

He let out a long sigh and set off toward the distance with a new target in mind, unaware of the days that are yet to come but more importantly, the events that will as well.

Author's Note: Well, go easy on me k guys? It's been a while and I'm a little washed up. Anyhow, this is merely a prologue so please don't ask me who is this guy just yet m'kay? BTW, thanks to my Mimi since she's the one who's been helping me with this since like forever. Kisses and hugs baby!


	2. Chapter 1: Apart

**Broken**

**Chapter 1: Apart**

It was a bright day in Tokyo. The clouds were few, white and fluffy as though they were pillows. The temperature was wonderful and the sky couldn't have been bluer. However the peaceful environment was broken by a frightful shriek.

"Get away from me, man!" It was a young man's voice, broken and tired.

He rushed as if his life depended on it, panting in exhaustion, his breathing being a sharp contrast with his apparently young age. Behind followed a tall, slightly older man, wearing nothing but black pants, a yellow sash and wooden sandals. His long hair tied back in a ponytail danced furiously as he chased the younger one.

He gritted his teeth as tough he were a wild animal.

"I swear I'll break your neck if I get my hands on you!"

It wasn't much of a threat, but enough to distract the other guy into crashing against a young boy who was training with a wooden sword. He stood up with the same speed with which he fell and resumed fleeing.

His pursuer snatched the wooden sword from the boy's thin fingers and gave it a wild, brutal swing toward the other guy. A strong wing whooshed across the field and hit the guy on the center of his back, hard enough to knock him to the ground wincing in pain.

Finally the older man caught up. He pulled him up by the collar of his shirt and started punching the guy fiercely with his free hand.

After a few minutes of punching he let go, grabbed a large, white duffel bag that seemed to be what he wanted from the young guy, who now lay unconscious on the floor.

"That'll teach you to steal from me"

As he turned to walk away, he saw the young boy running toward him. He simply tossed the boy's weapon at him and began to walk away.

"Wait! Who the hell you think you are?"

He looked over his shoulder and noticed that the kid was furious. Certainly not a face you'd like to have hovering all over you for the rest of the day.

"Listen kid, you don't want to mess with me so just back off."

"Tough talk from someone who can't take care of his own back."

The tall man gave out a sigh and began to walk away.

"Hey, I'm not finished talking with you!"

"But I am"

He simply ignored the boy, who continued to argue on his own, and kept going toward his destination.

After a few minutes walking he finally came upon the building he was looking for.

"Good morning!" He said almost yelling toward the dojo.

A young and very attractive woman appeared, trying to hide her disgusted attitude behind a warm smile.

"Does a man named Himura Kenshin live here? I have a message for him."

"He's not here right now, but he should be back any minute now."

"Do you mind if I wait for him here? I don't really have a place to stay at. Of course I won't be a pest or a burden."

She seemed to consider it for a while. It was wrong to trust strangers out of nothing, but she could use an extra pair of hands around and this guy seemed nice enough.

"Sure" She said hesitantly

"Thank you very much miss…"

"Kamiya, Kaoru"

"My name is Genma"

He stretched a hand toward her. She took it and blushed slightly as he kissed it gently.

"So what do you want Kenshin for?"

"I've received information that he might be in danger"

Author's Note: Well that's chap one, hope you liked it ppl. It's about to get better so stay tuned,m'kay?


	3. Chapter 2: Shattered

Author's Note: For those of you who recognize the name Oruku Saki, it has absolutely nothing to do with the original bearer of said name. Although it's nice to know I'm not the only big fan around here. Also the Okiba Gang Shinobi are most absolutely not original, although I made them humans.

**Broken**

**Chapter 2: Shattered**

There has been an awful weather lately, however today was exceptionally nice. Kenshin walked across the fields rather cheerful, after all he had just made a bunch of money working as a bodyguard for some rich guy named Oruku Saki. Who the hell knows what he does, but he sure does pay well. Now it was all just smooth sailing back home to get a nice well deserved rest.

All of a sudden he was hit by an awful scent, a familiar scent…death.

He looked around but didn't see anything.

He kept walking cautiously, searching for the foul odor's source.

A faint sound could be heard, indistinct at first but clear as the sky as Kenshin kept pressing forward. That's when he saw it…

"Please help! Anybody" A man cried between tears and sobs.

There was a lone man sitting in the middle of what used to be a battlefield. He was surrounded by corpses; most dismembered and reduced to small pieces the size of a fist. The stench was unbearable and got only worse as he closed in on the man pleading for help. He could now see that some of the smaller pieces had bite marks on them, human bite marks as if somebody had been chewing on them. As he moved even closer to the crying man he noticed that the amount of pieces with bite marks increased dramatically and he also saw that the man's jaw had a bright red color.

"This guy has been feeding on these corpses for days" Kenshin thought, slightly disgusted.

He could now see that the man's legs were both severely damaged, although not beyond recovery. That was just before he collapsed in exhaustion right in front of Kenshin's feet.

His legs hurt like hell, heck it felt like he was in hell. Aside from the blinding pain, he could also hear the moans and wails of many others. Maybe he WAS in hell after all. His eyelids were heavy, but managed to open his eyes. Ended up wishing he couldn't have.

His friends and partners lay on the floor, decimated. Some were even trying to put themselves back together literally. His friends, his family, an entire lifetime of loyalty an hard work and in the blink of an eye (it actually was that fast), gone, everything. The Okiba Gang Shinobi was no more, reduced to a few crippled shells that…

"Excuse me sir…"

He sat up straight, startled. To his surprise, hell was no longer his dweling. He now lay on a warm, cozy bed. The pain was no longer around his legs or eyes. In fact, he felt better than in any of the last few days. The young man who woke him up stepped out of the room and another one came in after a few seconds.

This second man was of average height, not too young but not old either. His skin pale and his hair crimson red. He also had an awkward scar on his left cheek in the shape of an X. That X…he knew it very well.

"How are you?"

"Are you the Hitokiri Battousai?"

"Nice to meet you too"

"Tell me!"

They just stared at each other for a few minutes. Then Kenshin let out an annoyed sigh, after all this guy clearly wasn't going to let him out of the hook.

"Not anymo…"

But the guy cut him off, speaking frantically.

"He's coming after you! He's gonna kill you!!"

Kenshin grabbed him from his shoulders and held him still.

"Calm down!"

"He killed my clan and now he'll kill you!"

"Who is he?"

"The man with the twin bladed sword, he's coming and he'll get us both".

All of a sudden he stood still and silent, as if having an epiphany.

"…The sword…"

Those were the man's last words before he stormed out of the room as if his whole life depended on it. Kenshin followed.

Author's Note: Well…what do you think?


	4. Chapter 3: Separated

Author's Note:…………………….Just read.

**Broken ****  
**

**Chapter 3: Separated **

"So what was it that you came for?"

Kaoru walked out of the kitchen, holding two cups of tea and handed one to Genma. They both sat around a small table across each other.

"Well, as I already said I've received information that Kenshin might be in danger. There was a battle not too far from here several days ago…"

Kaoru simply nodded, unsure if she should show interest or not. Interest she surely lacked.

"The guy killed 20 people, all decimated and reduced beyond recognition."

She seemed to be slightly worried.

"They were all members of the Okiba Gang, a clan of shinobi that specialized on information gathering and spying rather than assassination. I'm the only survivor. Right after the attack, I overheard him say that he was coming after the Man Slayer though I don't know the reason I thought I'd let you both know. Alas, he's not here."

"Wait." She spoke in disbelief. "How did you survive?"

"Well, we always left out a few members hiding just in case something happened. Their duties were to alert other members and summon back up if necessary. I was just one of the lucky one since I ran off as soon as the first one was killed."

"Then how do you know you're the only survivor?"

Genma sipped the last of his tea with a big gulp despite the heat.

Before he could answer a large thump came out of the front door. Apparently someone was struggling to get inside, but even so both Kaoru and Genma simply stared, the later one rather amused.

Yahiko burst in, groceries falling on the floor along with him. Although he got up as fast as he fell and walked toward Kaoru, his face flaring and leaving all the stuff behind him.

"I can't believe you made me carry all that stuff on my own. Seriously, next time…"

He stopped abruptly, eyes locked on Genma.

"YOU!!" His already loud voice turned into a yell as soon as he recognized the guy sitting next to him.

"You cost me more than a month's worth of grocery money!"

Genma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Who the hell was this guy? More importantly, what the hell was his problem?

"And to top it off, you ruined my Bokken!"

He produced a wooden sword. It was beat up and cracked all over. Now THAT he recognized. Genma stood up with an expression that seemed more aroused than worried or guilty.

"You're that kid from the market aren't you? Thanks man, you were a ton of help."

"No, YOU owe me a ton of money, because I had to buy another one and these things aren't cheap you know!"

"Don't be a drama queen. Everything turned out fine."

With a grunt, Yahiko pulled out another Bokken and held it against Genma's neck, pressing slightly. The tall man's gaze shifted toward Kaoru as he pointed toward the weapon pressed against his skin. Apparently she got the hint, because as soon as she saw that rather unusual gesture she sprinted out into one of the back rooms and came back holding a Bokken of her own, which she gave to Genma.

"Listen kid." Genma said with a serious tone, almost out of character. He almost seemed like a different person, since he's most of the time friendly and kind of goofy.

"Better respect your elders kid, you might get burned."

In a swift move he placed a hand on Yahiko's chest and pushed hard, throwing him out of the building. The boy got up and charged at Genma, who was calmly stepping out of the building. There was something odd about him now. He stood with his back completely straight, one leg slightly lifted, as if it didn't serve any purpose at all in sustaining the whole body. He held the weapon casually. Even more strange, his eyes were closed and his breathing was very low, almost imperceptible.

Yahiko swung his sword hard toward Genma's mid section, but he parried easily with his leg, not his weapon. He attacked again but his opponent simply stepped aside. Then again, and again, and again but the result was always the same.

"What are you, afraid to fight back?"

But before he could notice Genma swung his sword hard. The swing didn't connect, but still Yahiko felt a heavy blow against his chest, probably the same technique he saw Genma use at the market earlier. He was sent flying and before he could do anything his opponent dashed at amazing speed and swung his sword just a wildly, only this time he hit Yahiko on his abdomen and sent him even higher. As he began to fall he felt yet another blow to his mid section, only this time he didn't even see Genma as he leapt over him and struck, sending him crashing toward the ground.

"You got potential kid, but still have a ways to go"

His vision blurred, his head felt light and the pain in his back seemed o recede ever so slightly.

"I can help, but you must do as I say."

He could still hear, but everybody seemed to be far away.

"You should take a break though".

He could now feel Genma's hand wrapped around his neck. He felt even farther, his eyes blurred further and then nothing but darkness.


	5. Chapter 4: Crushed

Author's Note: People, please review…seriously.

**Broken**

**Chapter 4: Crushed**

Kenshin kept running for what seemed like forever. It had also been a few minutes since he lost track of the guy. Apparently his legs felt a lot better already. Then it occurred to him that the guy might not have outrun him after all, but rather just detoured elsewhere. It took a few more minutes to find him, exactly where he was before, except that this time he was fumbling through corpses, apparently looking for something.

"You know."

Startled, the man turned toward Kenshin, wincing in pain. His face was pale, sweaty and tired, yet his eyes were filled with resolve and determination. Certainly an amazing trait considering his current condition.

"Normally people wait until they recover to burst out of the hospital like that"

"I'm sorry, but I have to get it back."

He turned and kept looking at corpses one by one while this red haired stranger simply watched him idly.

Then he found it.

It was a rather thin package, although ridiculously long (about six or seven feet easy), with bandages wrapped all around it.

He stood up and held it over his head in a sort of triumphant stance. That's when Kenshin noticed that his wounds were severely reopened, if not bigger. Of course he ended up taking the guy back to the hospital.

* * *

He sat in front of the building that night, sipping slowly his steaming cup of herbal tea when the doctor came out of the room.

"He's finally asleep, although I must say the guy's got guts, running off like that."

"How is his mental state" Kenshin asked staring at the distance.

"Ever since he got that package back he's shown some improvement. Whatever that is must mean the world to him because it's really amazing."

Silence.

"Give me a holler if you need anything."

And the doctor walked away, leaving Kenshin on his own.

* * *

It had been a while now. Had Kenshin dosed? Not quite sure really, but surely enough it was already late. He went inside and checked on that guy again. It wasn't until then that he realized that he has been helping this complete stranger and he doesn't even know his name.

"Maybe I should ask him tomorrow." He whispered to himself.

On his way out of the room he spotted the strange item lying beside the bed. What was it that made it so important, enough to make this man risk his life so much? Overcome by curiosity, he was already strolling toward it even before he knew it. Just like a little kid hiding something he crouched and grabbed the item with extreme care. Kenshin removed the wrapping very slowly, occasionally remembering to breathe. At first his eyes caught a hint of blue. More like bluish silver really. It went on for a long while, until he finally felt something else rather than that cold metal.

"Yes, it's a sword."

He bolted upright in surprise and almost drew out his sword instinctively.

"Hey, calm down."

It was "the man" who was now sitting on his bed. He was barely visible, but it was still possible to tell that he hadn't slept for quite a while. His eyes were red and slightly swollen, probably even sunk inside their sockets but the little light didn't help THAT much.

Kenshin turned his attention to the item in his hand. If this was indeed a sword then it was impossible to wield. The blade was very light, probably mythril (where would this guy get such a rare metal anyway? Some even say it doesn't even exist) but still it's massive length made it way too heavy to use.

"We should probably go to sleep; I'll fill you in tomorrow."

He lay back on his bed and slid the covers over him.

Kenshin started toward the door, but was stopped yet again by the man's voice.

"By the way…"

A few seconds passed.

"My name is Guy…Miyamoto."

"Himura Kenshin."

He almost thought that Guy smiled at him, but the light was not very helpful yet again.

"Thanks, Himura."

Author's Note: Remember, little box in the corner…review…NOW! Or I'll steal your food…insert cheap horror movie theme song here


	6. Chapter 5: Torn

**Broken **

**Chapter 5: Torn ****  
**

He could hear voices in the distance…way out there. They seemed casual, familiar somehow.

"Don't worry…longer."

He could barely make out the rest, something about rain. Or was it grain? There wasn't a way he could know for sure.  
It's been some time, although Yahiko wasn't really sure how much. It was dark now, so maybe a few hours. He got up and walked toward the living room. Empty. It was rather unusual, but maybe she was cooking…he half hoped not; despite his growling tummy. Also empty. Kaoru's room. Empty. Kenshin's room. Empty. Bathroom. Also empty.

"What the hell?"

He kept on looking until he got a glimpse of something bright. A candlelight to be sure, coming out of a room in the back they used for training. Train, THAT was the word!  
As he moved closer he could make out the scene a little better. There was more than just one candle, MANY more since the light was very bight for just one. He could also make out a silhouette in front of the door, blocking it. It was someone with average height; slender…she almost looked good. At least he thought it was a she. He kept on going. Definitely a she, but not who she thought she was. It was Kaoru.

"Ew."

She turned around, eyes wide open. The moment she saw who it was her eyes eased. Also she let go of the ceramic vase she was going to hit him with.

"You're finally awake" she spoke turning back to the other room.

"What's going on?"

Yahiko peeked over her shoulder.

* * *

Genma stood in the middle of the room, slightly squatted and his eyes closed. He could feel the warmth of the candles al around him…16 o be exact. He could also feel the presence of someone else. Not Kaoru, she'd been standing there the whole time, but someone else…smaller somehow. Apparently the boy had gotten up already. He wouldn't stay still though, which was annoying.

"Would you mind if I asked you to stay still and shut up?" Those last words came out as a shout…not that he minded though. The boy deserved it anyway.

Back to the candles. They were positioned in five rows, three on the first two rows, three on the last two rows, and four on the middle row which was directly in front of him.

With a deep sigh, he lifted his arms until they were parallel to the first and last rows of candles.

The first two candles went off.

Then he threw a punch to the air with his right hand.

The first candle on the second row and the second one on the first row went off.

He swung his fist backward toward the fourth row.

The first on the fourth and the second on the fifth went off

Only ten candles left.

And finally, with a loud groan he drove his fist wildly forward directly in front of the row before him.

All, of the remaining candles went off as if swept by an invisible wave.

* * *

"Woah"

Yahiko's jaw dropped. Did he just put out all those candles without touching them? All ten?!

Kaoru had left a few seconds ago. Too bad because she missed it. He felt an urge, but his pride wouldn't let him get it over with. He kept on resisting it for a while, not being able to decide whether he should…

"What are you doing?"

Genma was practically hovering over him, staring down like a giant. That's when he noticed that Genma actually WAS, kind of a giant. Six feet easy.

"What, you got dumbstruck, kid?"

"What's your problem?"

Genma bent down until his face was inches from Yahiko's.

"My problem is that you're an ungrateful, dumbstruck kid who won't even answer a question when somebody asks you. Do YOU have a problem?

"Your breath stinks."

The giant burst into a loud laugh, the kind that makes your milk come out of your nose. Of course there was no milk at the moment…thankfully. Suddenly he stretched his hand toward Yahiko, as if expecting a handshake.

"I'm Genma."

"Yahiko."

They shook hands for a while which was complemented by a rather awkward silence.

"So, how'd you do it?" Yahiko asked hesitantly."

"Do what?"

"That thing with the candles."

"Want me to show you?"

But before he could answer Genma was already pulling him inside the now dark room. He lit the first candle of each row.

"Alright now you stand here." He spoke signaling to the front of the middle row.

"And just punch as hard as you can."

The young boy did as told, but nothing happened.

"No, no, no."

He forced Yahiko to squat by pushing on his shoulders. Then he took his right arm and held it toward the lit candle.

Yahiko, feeling a little uncomfortable just wanted it to be over, but this guy was pushy, VERY pushy. The fact that he started poking him on his back made it all worse.

"What the..?"

"Straight back"

Yahiko straightened his back and the poking stopped.

Finally.

"Try again."

He tried again.

Nothing.

"Don't rush it."

Again.

Nothing.

Silence.

The boy looked around, but Genma wasn't around.

"That bastard!"

"I heard that!"

Had he heard right? From the sound of his voice apparently Genma was all the way to the kitchen and he still heard Yahiko call him a bastard?

"I don't hear you throwing punches though!"

He resumed this…thing he was doing. Only one thing kept spinning around in his mind, but it wasn't the most interesting one…How the hell did I end up here?

* * *

"What are you doing?"

He walked into the kitchen slowly, trying not to startle Kaoru who was merely sitting on a chair beside the counter.

"Are you alright? You seem worried about something."

"I'm fine."

Genma gave her an untrusting look. There was definitely something wrong with her.

"You'd probably think I'm weird if I told you."

Bingo.

"Try me."

She let out a long sigh, not relieved but almost melancholic.

"It's just that he should be back by now."

"He who?

"Kenshin."

His name seemed hard and sharp, truly a warrior's name. Or was it for some other reason?

She started to laugh all of a sudden, a sweet laugh, so joyful and warm it could tear apart a devil's heart. Well, at least it tore Genma's heart.

"It's really stupid." She kept on going. "I mean he's really good at taking care of himself and he always keeps his promises."

Her voice seemed to crack for a moment.

"But whenever he's late I can only think that the worst has happened and…"

A lonely tear rolled down her cheek. That's when he knew…these two were in love, crazy for each other. Or at least she seemed crazy for him, the Man Slayer. Who would have known?

She kept on talking between sobs and was barely understandable.

"I don't know if this helps…"

Kaoru looked up at Genma, his face seemed troubled.

"Before my wife passed away we used to argue all the time."

He noticed Kaoru's confused expression and continued before she could ask why this would make her feel better.

"I always asked her not to worry about me when I was away and she always did. We ended up arguing. But even though I always asked not to worry about me I understood how she felt."

"Why is that?" She asked wiping tears and snot off of her face.

"Because she was always in my mind when I was traveling. I was always thinking: 'How is she doing? Is she okay? Is she worried about me?' It was already painful enough to be apart, but made it even more painful to think that she was sad, thinking that I might not come back, rather that thinking that I might."

There was a moment of silence as she thought about it.

While doing so she felt Genma's large hand rest on her shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure he's thinking like that right about now."

That last phrase put a small, but happy smile on her face. He never thought somebody could be this beautiful and yet there he was comforting her.

"Thank you." She spoke softly.

Kaoru stood up from her chair and started toward her bedroom.

"Good night, Genma."

And she left to sleep.

"Good night…Kaoru."

He could feel his heart sinking slowly. What was he feeling anyway? Why did Kenshin's name sting him so hard? But more importantly, why seeing her like that make him did feel so sad, so broken?

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for your support honey bisquit XOXO! And no I'm not abandoning this fic, I'm actually enjoying it -.

Anyway, BnK, Whoever you are this IS a KnK romance, but there won't be any rated m romantic scenes. As I said before its rated M for strong violence. Also, I made it rather confusing to add a little depth to the story. I mean it's no fun reading a story where you already know what's gonna happen and my goal is simply to keep the many readers (Who don't review! death glare) guessing.

Peace and love people!


	7. Chapter 6: Split

**Broken **

**Chapter 6: Split**

A bright light shone through the window, breaking and comforting darkness that had filled the room for the last few hours. At first everything was foggy…but eventually he began to remember the series of events that preceded his current state. His life had been destroyed in what seemed like a rough second. He had nothing left, except for his family which…

"Hello!"

Guy straightened up on his bed with a jolt. At the same time another jolt ran up from his legs to his head, which brought him back down again, wincing in pain.

"You mustn't strain yourself. The wound aren't very bad, but you have to be careful. Otherwise they might reopen yet again."

The doctor placed a small tray on a little table beside the bed and helped Guy sit on the edge of the bed.

"When you're done gimme a holler okay?"

Guy nodded.

The doctor started toward the door.

"Wait, is mister Himura still around?"

"I'll send him in."

And then with a little bow, he left.

* * *

Some time later Kenshin entered the room. Guy was lying on the bed again, his legs bandaged and his gaze toward the distance. The sword still lay where he left it the night before, though neatly wrapped.

"You wanted to see me?"

Guy seemed startled for a moment, as if he had been dozing but composed himself real quick.

"Don't you want to know about the sword?"

There wasn't much to do anyway, so Kenshin just pulled a chair beside the bed and stared expectantly.

"A few weeks ago."

With a grunt, Guy pushed himself to a sitting position.

"We got an anonymous letter asking for our assistance."

"Who's assistance?"

"All those dead men you found me with, The Okiba Gang Shinobi."

The name didn't ring any of Kenshin's bells, except that it was either a super secret group of ninja mercenaries or a myth.

"We were supposed to make a simple delivery. However the item at question was a stolen item, a very valuable one at that."

Mercenaries, definitely.

Kenshin to a glance at the sword with the corner of his eye.

"Yes, that's it. A man named Oruku Saki was supposed to bring it to our rendezvous point, and then our group would take it to the highest bidder who lives in Tokyo."

"Why would he need a gang of ninjas to take it there.?"

"Oh…" Guy gave a little laugh, first one in a while. "Sorry I missed that. Thing is that this is one of a set of swords that were disappeared when an entire family of blacksmiths was killed, Clan Masamune. The man we were supposed to meet is a collector of sorts."

Kenshin just kept on nodding.

"Anyway, this is the last sword the Masamune made." He spoke as he picked the sword up and unwrapped it.

"The Masamune 100."

"You haven't answered my question yet."

Guy gave a louder laugh now. He even had to wipe some tears off.

"Sorry, got carried away. Thing is that one of the Masamune survived, the last heir to their legacy and…well, let's just say he's a bit cranky."

"So Saki needed a whole bunch of warriors to protect his item from one man?"

"One man that killed 20 trained and highly experienced shinobi in a single attack. Well, 19 actually, I'm still alive."

There were a few minutes of silence.

"Is he the one you were talking about the first time we met.?"

"Right, I almost forgot. After the attack he said something about looking for the Man Slayer. Maybe he thinks that your Sakabato is a Masamune as well or maybe…"

"Wait, how do you know so much about me?"

"Please, you can't know too much, especially in the underworld."

Kenshin had no choice but to nod at that last comment. Curious, he grabbed the Masamune 100 and held it in front of him. Way to heavy to hold for long, so fighting with it was completely out of the question. At one point the blade was hit by sunlight. A bright, steel blue colored light was reflected in all directions around the room, making it hard to see. It was almost as if the sword WAS meant to reflect it like that. Kenshin removed the sword from the light quickly as soon as it started hurting his eyes.

It actually HURT his eyes.

"So are you saying that it was Oruku Saki who owned this blade?"

Guy nodded.

Kenshin place the sword back beside the bed as he spoke.

"So it was my fault that your clan got killed."

Guy looked confused, but before he could speak Kenshin kept on talking.

"I was his bodyguard during the exchange. Maybe that assassin thinks that you guys were a decoy and that I have the sword."

"Maybe."

"You should rest; we still have a delivery to make."

That confused look returned to Guy's face.

"Why would you do that? You barely know me."

"The assassin would've killed Saki instead of your team if I hadn't been there."

"You'd help a criminal just because you feel guilty."

"You're no criminal. You were just in the wrong place at the worst possible time."

Guy's eyes watered slightly for some reason, followed by yet another moment of silence.

"I'll figure out a way for you to repay me later."

They both laughed at this and Kenshin left the room.

* * *

Many thoughts filled his head, replaying time and again the events of the last few days. He kept on wondering about it. That strange sword, why so heavy? Why make it so hard to use, not to mention that thing with the lights. What was the big deal with that assassin? The heir to the Masamune legacy. He was being targeted by a master swordsman. 19 men in a single attack? Looking for him. 

Looking for him…

Kenshin Himura, the Man Slayer.

A few days since then. He'd probably in Tokyo looking for him right now.

In Tokyo.

Gasp.

"Kaoru!"

* * *

Author's Note: Whaddya think people? I know it wasn't much, but I kinda liked this chap, especially the ending. Anyway please review. 

Thanx again Mimi! Really. smoochie


	8. Chapter 7: Cracked

**Broken**

**Chapter 7: Cracked**

Yahiko woke up from his slumber. His feet felt like jelly and his arms, they felt more like his had fallen apart and had them replaced with cheap wood or something. Kinda like a pirate. After dragging himself off of his bed he half walked, half limped his way across the building, which seemed to go on forever. That was probably his half asleep state talking but still. As he walked passed an open window he caught something with the corner of his eye.

There he was, Genma, standing on a small field completely alone. He now wore a strange, long white coat, black pants, his yellow sash, wooden sandals and a black blindfold.

"Blindfold?"

Intrigued by this Yahiko leaned on the window to get a better view.

There was an immensely thick sword sheath on his back, probably attached to the coat because there were no belts of any kind. He was surrounded by wooden stumps, 6 in total and held a smaller one with his right hand. He tossed the smaller one straight up, squatted a little and gripped the hilt of his sword. Suddenly, with a large BOOM! a large cloud of dust rose covering the entire scene. Only one thing he could see though, splinters of wood flew all over the place. More disturbing still, they were on fire. When the dust cleared up, there he was, Genma, standing exactly the same way he had before the large explosion-like sound.

Awestruck, Yahiko simply stood there. Had he just done that with his sword? More important, How?

Now that Kenshin wasn't around, Kaoru had no choice but to do laundry herself…for a change.

She came out holding a large basket, mostly filled with red tops and white pants (tons of them). She started hanging them on a white clothesline, her mind helplessly wondering as to Kenshin's whereabouts.

"Hello!"

Slightly aroused, she turned. Genma had popped behind her like a 6 year old trying to pull off a prank on her. His awfully cheerful smile could only second that similarity.

"You're making a fool of yourself." She said with a smile.

"Says who?"

"I do."

Then the most unextecpected thing happened. Genma stuck his tongue out, being reduced to a 5 year old.

At this last gesture she couldn't help it, just had to laugh.

"I like it when you laugh."

He said softly, almost uncharacteristic.

"Why?" A confused look covering her face.

"You just seem so happy, so full of life."

"Ooookay."

There was an awkward silence after that, and after a few seconds of it he couldn't bear it anymore.

"So, how are you today?"

She grinned, bad sign.

"Well, I seem happy and full of life."

"Are you mocking me?"

She laughed, that laugh he liked so much; nothing short of sweet.

"Just kidding, but thanks for last night."

"Don't mention it."

They shared warm smiles, the kind that could keep a man just standing there forever.

Abruptly though, Genma turned his head toward the house, like a predator searching for prey.

"What's wrong?" She asked rather puzzled by his reaction.

"Would you excuse me for a moment?"

But before she could answer he had already started toward the building.

* * *

Yahiko was simply minding his own business, avoiding the breakfast Kaoru prepared and looking for something for himself.

"HEY!"

"AH!"

He dropped the cup he picked for tea. The cup just shattered into a million pieces, the sound almost deafening compared to the size of the puny little thing.

And there he stood, Genma laughing his brains off while clutching his gut, while poor little Yahiko gasped for air. After some time, Genma took a deep breath and finally spoke.

"So, did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Don't you remember? Last night I dared you to put out three candles with one blow and you agreed that if you did it I'd have to double the money I owed you."

"And if I didn't?"

"You owe me a fancy breakfast."

Genma's grin wasn't a very good sign.

"I didn't, did I?"

"Nope."

Yahiko frowned, but an idea suddenly crossed his mind.

"What if I try again? Double or nothing?"

Next thing they knew they were back in the back room.

"Let me get this, if you do it, you're off the hook? What if you don't?"

"I'll do it."

"Ok."

But without notice, Genma pulled a pair of bracelets out of nowhere and attached them to Yahiko's wrists. They weighed like 20 pounds each.

"What the hell?"

"Since I don't get 'double' then you must do it under my conditions…three tries."

Yahiko cursed under his breath and assumed the stance.

One punch, useless.

Two punches, could've been better.

Three punches, better luck next time.

"Well, time to eat."

* * *

He started toward the exit, until Yahiko's whiny voice stopped him.

"Hey! What about these?" He said holding up his hands, showing the braces.

He seemed to ponder it for a few seconds, a mischievous smile across his face.

"Well, I can take them off, but then I choose the restaurant."

Yahiko grunted, but ended up keeping the braces, at least for now. This guy would surely drain all of his remaining money if he chose the restaurant.

A few minutes later they were walking down the road toward the cheapest restaurant in Tokyo, or at least looking for one cheap enough. Silence had been preserved after departing from Kamiya Dojo, but it was starting to get old.

"So, what was that thing you did earlier?" Yahiko asked in an attempt to distract himself from the braces.

"What thing?"

"You know, with the wood and…"

But Genma interrupted him. It was getting pretty usual.

"OH! That was one of my secret techniques, Buru-Hirameki (Blue Flash). I can teach you if you want."

His straightforwardness took Yahiko by surprise. Was this guy for real? Teaching a secret technique to a total stranger? Silence resumed.

"Umm, by the way."

The young boy snapped out of it.

"I saw you dodging Lady Kaoru's food this morning. What was all that about?"

"Are you kidding? That stuff can kill somebody."

A funny look appeared on Genma's face.

"Ew, that bad?"

Yahiko nodded, feeling knowledgeable for a moment, until Genma's fixed gaze shifted. He now had a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I thought I saw someone."

They kept walking and looking for a good place, but to no avail. In the end, Yahiko ended up taking him to the Akabeko, hoping to get some kind of employee discount.

They entered, sat down and waited, but only for a few seconds since a waitress came quick. There was something odd about her though. First, she wasn't wearing a uniform (she was probably new or a part timer). Second, she seemed a little lost. Third, she seemed oddly familiar (at least to Yahiko) but not a face he'd ever expect to see at the Akabeko. That's when he recognized her.

"Misao?" He asked as surprised as he could ever be.

She stared at his face and smiled warmly.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Her eyes shifted toward Genma, who was just looking around and barely seemed to notice her. "And who is he?"

"I owe him some food."

She kinda laughed, more like laughed at him really. Then another waitress came and handed some sake to Genma. Apparently he didn't want to bother Misao and Yahiko in their conversation. He started pouring one cup after another.

"What are YOU doing here?" Yahiko asked Misao.

"I'm here on a mission, nothing you should care about."

"I meant working here." He said giving her 'the stare'.

"Oh! Some guy with a white coat and a matching duffel bag took away my money while I traveled to Tokyo."

Genma choked on one of his many cups and spat sake all over Yahiko. He got 'the stare' too.

"It's okay though, the only thing I regret is not being with Lord Aoshi."

Genma spat on Yahiko again.

"Lord Aoshi? As in Shinomori Aoshi?" He said in what seemed like excitement.

"Yeah, why?"

"Your name is Misao, right?"

"Yeah."

"Makimachi Misao?"

She looked surprised. Who the hell was this guy? How the hell did he know her?

"Don't you remember me?"

Remember him? From where?

"I'm No Face. From the Oniwabanshu. Used to give you piggyback rides when you were just a puny little thing."

She remembered him from her childhood, many years before that. Excitement took over her as well. She leaped toward him and gave him a huge hug.

"It's been so long uncle Genma."

He pushed her gently, unbeknownst to Yahiko's expression. He was looking at they as if they were freaks.

"Know what? I just had an idea."

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but as always Genma just kept on talking as if to himself.

"Come to Kamiya Dojo later so we can catch up ok?"

Then he turned to Yahiko, who was still astonished.

"You can invite anyone you'd like to."

Yahiko tried to say "is Kaoru okay with this?" but Genma took off without giving him time to even think about it.


	9. Chapter 8: Splintered

**Broken**

**Chapter 8: Splintered**

Kenshin entered Guy's room to see how he was doing. For the first time in a while he was doing something other than sleeping, origami. There were paper frogs, balls, seals, shuriken and all kinds of other stuff Kenshin didn't recognize at first.

"Having fun?"

Guy barely reacted. It seemed as if he hadn't noticed Kenshin's presence. Maybe didn't care.

"Um…are…"

"Wait" Guy said interrupting him.

He seemed deeply focused on whatever he was doing.

"Done!"

He extended his arm toward Kenshin. He wore the same triumphant expression he had had days ago. Was it more than one day already? Of course Kenshin had better things to think about so he just shrugged it off.

He couldn't really make out whatever it was, what Guy was showing him.

"It's supposed to be a crane."

Kenshin almost laughed, but preferred not to. However the idea of him being able to make so many different things and not be able to make a crane just couldn't fit in his mind.

"It's all wrong." He said.

"Let's see YOU try then."

Kenshin sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed the piece of paper. Unfortunately it was so bent out of shape that he broke it trying to unfold it. So he took a completely new one and started folding. In a matter of seconds he finished.

"There."

Guy stared wide eyed for a while. He made it look so easy.

"Do you have any children, Mr. Himura?"

Kenshin couldn't place the question. Why did that have anything to do with what he had just done?

"No, why?"

"Well, I've heard that kids love these." He said grabbing the paper crane with a bony hand. "That's why I've been practicing but am no good at it."

"You have kids?"

"Oh, yes, three; I love kids. They may get insufferable sometimes but it's worth it."

Then silence took over, not awkward, just plain old and sort of comforting silence. At some point Kenshin couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be a father. To his own surprise he actually looked forward to it.

"Helloooo."

Kenshin almost leaped out of his seat as his thought bubble was burst.

"Huh, what?"

"I said how come you don't have kids?"

"I don't know, it just hasn't come to me yet."

"I don't mean to tell you how to live your life, but you really should. Just watching the little bastards running all over the place makes you forget about all your troubles. It literally changes your entire life for the better."

He was lost in thought yet again.

The silence was broken by the doctor who couldn't have entered more abruptly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better." Guy replied almost instinctively.

"Well, good news. Even though you lost a lot of blood your wounds weren't that bad. Which means that in a few days you'll be walking out of here, on crunches but still, and I never have to see your face around here ever again!."

He spoke awfully cheerful, like it was a joke or something. After that he just took off the same way as he came in.

"That was…creepy." Said Guy.

They both laughed for a few seconds.

Kenshin kept thinking.

"I have to go for now."

"Okay, see you later then?"

He nodded and stepped outside.

A few days.

"Kaoru doesn't even know where I am."

He thought about her, the dojo, Yahiko, the assassin. He thought about what would happen if he didn't get there in time.

"I could at least warn her."

And so he found himself fumbling through papers, hoping that it wasn't too late.


	10. Chapter 9: Diminished

**Broken**

**Chapter 9: Diminished**

That evening, Misao, Yahiko and Sanosuke, who at some point encountered and joined the other two on their way to Kamiya Dojo, waited outside the building. Apparently Genma had taken over and wouldn't let anyone; except Kaoru of course; inside until everything was ready. Or so he said.

"It's amazing I didn't see this coming. You and he knowing each other."

He kept staring into the distance, but Yahiko's question seemed clearly directed toward Misao.

"Why?" She asked naively.

"Well, if you must know. He's pushy, annoying, doesn't know when to shut up, can't take no for an answer, conceited, arrogant, selfish, self centered, greedy and WAY too loud…just like you!."

"What did you say?!"

The rest was indistinct talking, moans, screams and grunts as they tried to tear each other apart…as usual.

All of a sudden the front door opened and Kaoru's head, decorated with probably the largest smile you'd ever see her with, popped into the scene.

"You can come in now!"

And then she disappeared just as fast as she came in, which sent a chill up Yahiko's spine. She was definitely spending WAY too much time with Genma.

They all went into the lunch room and there was a huge, really long table with tons of food on it. There were all kinds of beef, pork and fish and a LOT of rice. There were a few soups and all kids of onigiri. There were also dumplings, both sweet and meat flavored and even a few foreign dishes. At one end of the table Genma stood blindfolded. He had a handful of senbon needles (really sharp throwing needles used by high ranked shinobi only) and he was throwing one in front of each plate with surprising precision. Each needle had a small paper pinwheel on top of a different color, which was an odd, but somehow kind of cute decoration on the table.

All of a sudden, Misao's hand darted in front of Yahiko's face like a snake. After blinking twice, he noticed that she had caught a needle that was headed straight toward him. An angry flare stirred inside him and made his way up to the top of his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He growled at Genma.

Genma seemed like he didn't care, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"You have to stay alert, kid. You might get killed someday."

And along with that, he threw one last needle at the table.

He took the blindfold off of his face and greeted everybody with a large, welcoming smile.

"Welcome everybody!"

His eyes shifted toward Sanosuke.

"Who are you?"

"Sagara Sanosuke"

He offered Genma his hand, but the guy just ignored him and turned to Misao, who had rolled her braid into a bun and put the little pink pinwheel on it like a hair pin.

"You're looking as cheerful as usual."

Strangely though, she replied with nothing but a big smile.

Some time later, they all sat around laughing and gobbling down. Misao had just finished telling Genma how she Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko. Sano, on the other hand, was too busy going Godzilla on the feast right in front of him.

"What about you?" Kaoru asked. "How did YOU two meet?"

Genma grabbed a napkin and wiped his face.

"Well, I used to be a good friend of Shinomori-sensei's, well, as good a friend of that guy as anyone could be. But anyway…"

Then Yahiko interrupted.

"Sensei?!"

At that moment Genma smacked Yahiko on the back of his head for interrupting.

"Anyway, after a long series of events I ended up an Oniwabanshu, that's when I met the Old Man."

"Okina?" Kaoru asked.

Genma nodded.

"It was later that I met Misao though. She was such a cute little thing I wanted to adopt her, but neither Shinomori-sensei nor the Old Man let me. I'm good old uncle Genma ever since."

"How come we've never met before then?"

"Oh I quit the Oniwabanshu after a while. Had to actually. Years ago, I got married, had a son, began a sword collection and here I am."

"And that other ninja gang?"

"Oh, right" He gave a shy laugh. "And I joined the Okiba Gang Shinobi."

It took them a few minutes to suck it all in (except for Sanosuke who hadn't even spoken).

Suddenly, Kaoru's expression changed into worry.

"Damn! I forgot!"

"What's wrong?"

She stood up very abruptly, even had to lean against the wall for balance, and headed outside.

"I forgot the laundry, be back in a minute."

And she took off.

There were a few seconds of silence, which were broken by Genma.

"I can't believe you're the new Okashira. Congratulations!" He told Misao.

"What? Too little for the job?" She replied, her expression changing slowly into anger.

"Not at all." He took a sip from his tea. "As a matter of fact you've grown a lot."

Her eyes lit up and she couldn't contain the excitement. Someone finally told her that she had grown into…

"Of course you're no Kaoru, but still a fine young lady."

"WHAT?!"

Surprised and wide eyed, Genma turned to her. Her face had changed again, only this time it was a very, VERY frightening expression. He didn't see it for long though. Next thing he new she landed a flying kick right above the bridge of his nose.

"Did I say something funny?" He said rubbing his face.

"What was that thing about Kaoru?"

"I didn't say anything."

"YES YOU DID!"

"No I didn't."

"Yes, you did." Yahiko said.

"No I didn't."

* * *

Outside, Kaoru minded her own business. Nothing out of the ordinary, she just forgot to pick up the laundry. After all, she was used to Kenshin doing all that stuff and he's wasn't anywhere near. She went outside holding a basket.

A ruffling sound came from among the bushes. She looked for a few seconds, but there was nothing to see, so she returned to the clothes.

It was strange though, she never would've guessed that doing chores would remind her of anything good, yet all of a sudden images of Kenshin came flooding her mind.

She kept remembering how much he has done for her, most of it unappreciated, and never asked anything in return. Even as she picked up that laundry, if he was around he would've asked her to go inside because it was getting cold and that he would finish for her. Unlike that bunch of knuckleheads, they wouldn't help their own mother even if she needed them to. Except Genma. He was a nice guy, but he's so polite he hadn't probably come to help her already because he'd regard them as guests, even though two of them are just a pair of freeloaders.

She caught herself thinking about him and let out a little chuckle.

"What am I thinking?" She said out loud mocking herself ever so slightly.

Then, as she resumed her chore, her mind went back to dreamland.

* * *

Silence had enveloped the environment briefly. The awkwardness had ceased a little. However the first was broken by Misao's high pitched voice.

"Why'd you leave the Oniwabanshu anyway? Everyone said you were dead, even Hanya."

Yahiko giggled a little.

"That guy was such a freak."

Then another smack on the back of his head followed, this one throwing him face first on some rice.

"Don't you speak of him like that! The guy was probably THE most valuable friend one could ever have, not to mention…"

But Yahiko interrupted.

"Hey calm down! I just said it because he was ugly."

Genma's anger seemed to just flush away.

"Okay you're right then, he IS a freak."

"Was." Said Misao."

He turned to her. He had a strange look, like a brother of his had just died. So it happens, they really were like brothers.

"What?" Tears filled his eyes.

Misao told him what had happened to Hanya.

He looked calmer after she told him though.

"You know, he always used to say that when he died, he'd like to die a hero. Strange how he got the death he always wanted."

There was a moment of silence.

Genma wiped off his tears with the back of his hand and tried his best to compose himself, or at least try.

"You asked me why did I leave, right?"

Misao nodded.

"Well…"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ello people! Sorry if you wanted to know really bad, but I just wanted to make the little flashback another chapter. Don't worry it'll be the next one. Although I'd really like it if you reviewed it. I'll give you a cookie. Anyway, ciao!

Peace and love people!!! Peace and love…


	11. Chapter 10: Crumpled

**Broken**

**Chapter 10: Crumpled**

It was late at night, the moon shone its full splendor upon the trees, and yet not small glimmer of light reached the ground. A lone figure stood in between a sea of trees, waiting.

"You called, Shinomori-sensei?"

It was Genma, a much younger version of him, who approached he who was his master back then. However back then he was known as No Face

"Yes." Said Aoshi, almost inaudible.

Even though his face was down he wore a worried expression, almost sad.

"Are you okay?"

Then out of the blue, Aoshi drew one of his kodachi and struck No Face. He dodged the attack, but was cut on his shoulder anyway. Surprised and clutching his wound; a very superficial one for that matter; he growled at Aoshi.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Thought I'd never find out?"

Then he struck again, but No Face managed to dodge it successfully.

"There's been someone leaking information out of the Oniwabanshu, and suddenly when we are getting close to his tracks you want to quit? You disappoint me No Face."

"I don't know what you're talking about! Let's sort this out!"

"I'm done talking."

He drew his other blade and approached No Face with murderous intent.

"You're making a mistake!"

But he wouldn't listen. Blinded by disappointment and hate, the "soon to be" Okashira kept attacking No Face mercilessly. He avoided most of the attacks, but his current master's moves were too hard to read, resulting in countless minor wounds.

"I don't want to fight you!"

But words didn't seem to go through to him. Left with no other choice, he delivered a swift knee on Aoshi's chin which knocked him off of his feet.

"Listen to me!"

For a moment it seemed like the battle was over, but only until Aoshi started moving toward him again. Even worse, he recognized that movement pattern a little too well. He'd seen it countless times before and none had lived to talk about it. Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren.

Time seemed to stop for a moment. Silence engulfed the forest except for the blowing winds atop the world. But there was something wrong with the present picture. A steady sound, like a drum pounding repeatedly at decreasing speed. No, not a drum. A heartbeat. His heartbeat. No Face was alive.

"But how?"

He turned around and spotted Aoshi just as stunned as he was. Both blades went right through him and yet he remained unscathed. How? That's when he remembered, vaguely what happened.

It all was so fast even he himself almost missed it, no surprise that Aoshi did. His grandfather, the man who originally began his training as a swordsman, used to say that a man's true potential was only reached when staring down death's throat. However once you experience it the first time you may be able to master it…in time. Maybe, just maybe, he actually dodged Aoshi's ultimate technique.

"Granpa was right?"

But his thought was broken by somebody screaming. Aoshi, screaming in frustration dashed toward him yet again.

"It's over sensei."

For Aoshi, he became a blur, but only for the split second that it took him to reach his master and drive a fist deep into his gut. Then he moved so fast that it looked like another No Face appeared from behind and kicked him in the chin and yet another one leaped and punched him hard on Aoshi's forehead, knocking him back and making him roll for a few yards until he crashed against a tree and came to a stop. He got up desperately, hoping for a chance to retaliate, but No Face was no where to be seen. Vanished into thin air, as if he had never been there to begin with.

* * *

Author's Note: I know it's short, but I kinda liked it. Peace and Love people!!! Peace and love… 


	12. Chapter 11: Crushed

**Broken**

**Chapter 11: Crushed.**

"Wait a second" Yahiko began in disbelief. "Are you saying that you can move so fast that not only you can become invisible to the human eye you appear to be in more than one place at once?"

Genma nodded.

Yahiko burst into laughter, holding nothing back.

"For real." Said Genma in a pointless effort.

"You believe me, right?"

He naturally turned to Misao as he asked her, however what he saw was not to be expected. She looked frightened and was on the brink of tears.

"You okay Misao?"

"He couldn't have done that." Her voice was breaking slightly.

"He who? Sensei? I'm sorry but that's how it was."

"LIAR!"

Then she started crying almost viciously.

"It's not that bad, he was just confused and thought he was doing the right thing."

"Not MY Aoshi!" She kept on talking but between the tears and sobs it was indistinct.

"Listen."

He tried to hold her hand in order to calm her down, but she pulled it back before he could even touch her.

"Hey man, leave her alone."

He had almost forgotten about Sanosuke who was sitting on the far end of the table. He was still sitting, yet now it seemed like the food didn't matter much to him as his eyes were fixed on Genma.

"Mind your own business."

And he returned his attention back to Misao who only got worse.

He tried comforting her, cheering her up, sugar coating the truth to see if that helped but to no avail. Her godly image of Aoshi was just to perfect to accept the fact that he almost killed his childhood friend because of a simple mistake. Suddenly, Genma felt a cold hand pull him away from Misao. He stood up and turned around. His eyes met Sanosuke's, who seemed angry. Sano grabbed Genma from his coat and roughed him a little.

"Leave her alone!"

"Don't touch me." Said Genma with a calm, but menacing tone.

"Says who?"

"I won't tell you twice."

Sanosuke's eyes filled with arrogance. He even chuckled a little.

"What are you gonna do about it?"

Then out of nowhere Genma grabbed Sanosuke from his waist (which seemed smaller than his size would suggest) and hurled him outside, knocking down the front door. He followed, making the same signaling gesture that he made to Kaoru when he first fought Yahiko while looking at the boy. Of course Yahiko knew what it meant and refused.

"I'll replace it, promise."

He pondered it for a few seconds, but in the end he gave his bokken even though he knew it was probably the last time he'd ever see it in one piece.

Genma took his blindfold and wrapped it around his left palm to use as a sheath for his wooden sword and stepped outside.

* * *

Kaoru heard a loud thumb with a crack in the distance. She chose to ignore it though; probably Genma and Yahiko were at it again. Or Misao and Yahiko. Whatever the couple was, she sort of expected it. Probably they got into an argument about something stupid and one of them crashed onto the table, making a huge mess. A mess she won't be cleaning of course, so there was no trouble. Not like she wasn't used to all that ruckus and…

That ruffling on the bushes started again.

Intrigued, she walked close to it. After a few steps the ruffling stopped. She leaned to look closer. Suddenly, something popped out of the bush and attacked her. It startled her and even made her scream. It wasn't until later that she took a good look at the little raccoon that almost caused her a heart attack. It didn't even attack her, but rather fled away from her. With a relieved sigh and feeling foolish, Kaoru got up to her feet.

She laughed quietly and decided to resume picking up the laundry. She was almost done, so might as well get it over with. All of a sudden she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head and fell on her knees. She cried out in pain for help, but her voice would not come out. Reaching for her mouth, she felt something other than her own lips. They were fingers, she was being attacked.

* * *

Sanosuke charged at Genma, fist in position and grinding his teeth. However every time he wailed at Genma he simply moved out of the way and hit him on either his shoulder or his back with his bokken. The poor bastard didn't know that it would take a lot more than that to take HIM down. He tried again, got hit again. At that rate they would keep on fighting forever.

"Can't you do better than that?!"

But Genma just stood there, waiting for him to get close and keep hitting him with that stick. He tried a few more times but no dice. At some point he noticed something that boiled his skin. Genma was laughing. A mocking laugh, like he was nothing but a street thug who doesn't know up from down. Time to pull out the big guns.

He threw a punch straight toward Genma's face with his left arm. As expected he ducked and did an upward slash with the stick against the back of his shoulder. At that same moment he tried using Mastery of Two Layers on Genma's ribs. Next thing he knew Genma was several feet away, sweating like no other and clutching his torso with his right hand.

"That's what you get from messing with me."

Genma dropped to his knees gasping for air.

About time Sanosuke wrapped things up. He tried another dashing attack at Genma.

Just when he was about to strike, Genma lifted his gaze. His eyes seemed cold, murderous. Not only that, there was something vicious about them, almost bloodthirsty.

It felt like he had crashed against a wall and time seemed to stop. It happened too fast to describe it, but after one punch in the gut he found himself flying across the small battlefield, arms completely paralyzed and his lung stripped of all air.

Genma approached with the same monstrous eyes, but at some point his attention shifted toward the back of the dojo and he sprinted in that direction, almost unaware of Sanosuke's presence. Then his mind slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Where's the bag?"

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

He punched Kaoru and she fell on her knees. She tried to crawl away but it was useless.

"Fine, I have other ways to make you talk."

He wrapped one hand around her shoulders and pulled her up, close enough to feel his heartbeat pumping with adrenaline. A sharp noise took over, sending a shill up her spine.

"Do you remember now?"

The blade hovered in front of her face just like that snakelike voice. She wanted to tell him and get it over with, but the word wouldn't come out. She was paralyzed by fear.

"Very well. But I won't go home empty handed."

She could feel his tongue gliding over the skin of her cheek, meanwhile the blade course down her boy and slid beneath her obi. That was her chance. She revealed the rock she picked up when she fell from inside the sleeves of her kimono and in a sudden rush of adrenaline she drove it to the top of his skull. He let go of her and she started running, but before long he pushed her and she fell on all fours. He cut off Kaoru's obi and began to tug at her kimono, occasionally slamming her forehead against the floor in an attempt to force her into submission.

It was over; she was convinced of that now. After he was done with her body, this man would dispose of her. However just when she felt like giving up hope she felt a loud yell. More like a war cry. Her attacker got off of her and half a second later a strange wooden object slammed against the floor right beside her face, a bokken.

"Are you okay?"

It was almost a whisper, the voice unfamiliar. Even though he lay as close to her as the attacker, though, this one felt reassuring, friendly somehow.

"You're safe now, leave the rest to me."

His words seemed magical, as her fear was slowly drained out of her.

"Please don't look."

Then she was alone, at least she felt alone. His warmth gone and only his words remained, echoing in her mind endlessly.

* * *

Genma glared at the man before him, rage flooding every last corner of his body.

"Who sent you?"

The man's eyes went wide, stricken with fear. He turned to run away, but just as he gave the first step Genma hurled him against a tree. He tried to escape, but found himself suck by some kind of pinwheel that was now attached to his clothes.

"I'm waiting."

"It was Saki! Oruku Saki! Please don't kill me."

Another pinwheel needle flew out of nowhere and went right through his shoulder, pinning him to the tree. He screamed in pain.

"Tell Saki." Said Genma digging his finger into the wound. "To stay away from this building if he values his life or that of his subjects, UNDERSTOOD!"

He simply nodded hysterically. After that, Genma gave him a good pull, ripping some of the guy's shoulder off. Then he tapped his bokken against the wood twice. The wooden sword lit itself on fire and without any hesitation Genma threatened to attack the man, who ultimately ran off as if his life depended on it.

* * *

Kaoru was sitting on her knees now, still in shock. She couldn't remember ever being so close to death. She couldn't believe how helpless she was without Kenshin. A pair of hands suddenly held her bare shoulders and pulled her gently on her feet. She was scared at first, until the hands pulled up her kimono up to her shoulders and wrapped around her waist. Now she was angrier than ever.

"What the hell…!"

But things weren't what she thought they were. There he was, Genma fixing her clothes, yet his eyes closed and his face pointing toward the heavens, doing everything possible to not see anything he shouldn't.

"Please Kaoru, turn around."

As soon as she turned she could see what he was doing around her waist. A yellow sash gleamed below the moonlight, holding her clothes where they should be. She turned to Genma, who now was looking at her and holding his pants with his hand, and gave him a hug. Instead of hugging back however he grunted in pain.

"What's wrong?" She asked wide eyed.

"Nothing a good night's sleep won't cure."

She hardly believed him, but maybe he would tell her the next day. All that mattered was that they were both okay. She hugged him again, more gently this time and whispered while resting her head on his broad chest.

"Thank you."


	13. Chapter 12: Pummeled

**Broken**

**Chapter 12: Pummeled **

The three of them stood in front of the clinic, taking care of the final preparations for the trip.

"And remember…" Said Guy's doctor. "Always use your crutches and rest every ten minutes; otherwise your condition may worsen."

"But at that rate it'll take weeks to reach Tokyo." He complained even though he knew the doctor was right.

"It's either that or spending more quality time with me."

He grunted, but it seemed like he had no other choice.

"Everything's settled then; now get the hell out of my sight before I kick you out myself!"

* * *

Minutes later, Guy and Kenshin were sitting beneath the shadow of a tree, having a light meal while Guy rested his legs. 

"Quite a character that doctor, isn't he?"

Kenshin nodded while chewing a small piece of bread.

Guy reached for a bag and dug his hand in it. After a few seconds he produced a piece of paper and began to write on it.

"What are you doing?" Asked Kenshin overcome by curiosity.

"Writing a letter, my wife must be worried sick about me. Probably one of the branch members of the Okiba Gang Shinobi reported me missing by now."

"Branch members?"

"There are a few who, for their own reasons, can't be shinobi full time. Those work under secret identities, dealing information in and out of the clan without being an actual part of it. That way they aid the clan AND get to keep their normal lives. Kind of honorary members."

"So they are in charge of reporting to friends and family the condition of the active gang members?"

"You catch on quick, you ever been on a clan of sorts?"

"Sort of."

They stayed silent for a moment. The environment was very relaxing. The sun shone brightly, a warm breeze blew from the west and the temperature was exquisite. Bird could be heard singing n the distance and all kinds of animals ran around scavenging for food.

"I wish you would've told me earlier though."

Guy stared awkwardly at Kenshin, trying to make sense of that last comment.

"About that letter."

"Why?"

"Just yesterday I sent one."

Guy's eyes lit up.

"To whom?"

"It's kind of a long story."

"Well." Guy replied with sort of a sarcastic attitude. "This IS kind of a long trip."

Kenshin thought of it for a few seconds.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt."

Guy shifted in his spot to face Kenshin completely.

"It's not too different from your case; I just wanted to tell a friend of mine not to worry about me."

"Tell me about her."

"Well, there's not much to say…"

"So it IS a she!"

With a sigh, Kenshin realized there was no going around this guy so he might as well tell him everything and get it over with.

"Tell me about her…please?"

"Alright, her name is Kaoru, she's the current owner of the Kamiya Dojo at…"

"I know that, she teaches Kamiya Kashin-Ryu, nice girl, kind of pretty."

A strange look took over Kenshin, a worried look. Guy laughed before he kept on talking.

"Don't worry, there were some incidents there involving the Hitokiri Battosai some time ago. Pretty much every shinobi in Japan took an interest in that particular place, which is why I recognized you the first time we saw each other."

The look on his face changed, but there was still something about it that bothered Guy.

"Pretty?"

"Wouldn't you agree?" Guy wore a strange grin as he replied.

"Anyway…" Said Kenshin obviously dodging the question. "She's a bit of a hothead, but we really care for each other. However, I told her that I would be back days ago and she must be worried sick about me. Last time that happened she went to Kyoto just to make sure I was okay even though I told her to stay because it was going to be very dangerous."

"Was that when that arsonist appeared? Shishio Makoto?"

"You now about that too?"

"Not really, but both your names popped out in one or two conversations. It seems like she keeps our hands full, this Kaoru girl."

"I don't mind."

That creepy grin returned to Guy's face, sending a chill up Kenshin's spine.

"So how are things with her?"

Kenshin made a funny looking confused face.

"You know, are you friends, maybe more?"

His eyebrows furrowed.

"Sorry, it just sound like you're quite taken with this girl. Pretty much the same way I was with my wife a few years ago."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm actually surprised you don't talk about her more often."

He shrugged.

Guy put away his things and strapped the bag over his shoulder. Then he got up on his crutches. Kenshin followed, strapping another;much larger; bag over his shoulder and grabbing the Masamune 100, neatly covered in bandages. They began to walk again.

"By the way Mr. Himura."

"What is it?"

"Don't worry about Masamune. He may be a cold blooded assassin, but he's only after us. Even if he does get to Kamiya Dojo he will not harm Miss Kamiya."

"Why is that?"

"He only kills when necessary. He'll probably wait for you while hiding somewhere in Tokyo."

"But what about your clan? Didn't he…"

"Yes, but he also thought that he could learn the whereabouts of Masamune 100 through us. It's amazing he didn't find it."

Kenshin took a glance at the massive sword.

"She'll be fine, start worrying once we reach Tokyo."

He felt slightly better, but he still couldn't shake that nagging feeling that something was missing, something important.


	14. Chapter 13: Battered

**Broken**

**Chapter 13: Battered**

His eyelids felt heavy. His entire body hurt. His limb felt…well, he couldn't feel anything.

"Try not to move, I might hurt you further."

"Who the hell are you?"

Sanosuke asked, but the words didn't seem to come out.

"It's Genma, now stay still unless you want to spend the rest of the week completely paralyzed."

He closed his eyes, but the pain wouldn't cease. His mouth tasted bitter. A thick, heavy taste, like something you might get at a clinic or from a soup gone bad. Almost as bad as…

He fell asleep.

* * *

Genma was finally done fixing the front door, which honestly was in much worse condition than it's appearance might've suggested, when Kaoru came outside to check up on him.

"Are you okay?" He asked her instinctively.

Kaoru nodded with a slight smile, the kind that says I'm better but not quite alright. Drawn by an unseen force he couldn't help but worry. Before he could even notice he had left his activity and was just looking at her, ready to throw another question at her.

"You sure?"

"I'm just a little shook up from last night. Also my head hurts."

He moved closer and placed a caressing hand on her forehead, right beside a small cut from the night before. His hand, although rough and worn, felt rather kind and soft. A warm feeling that somehow made her feel comfortable, safe.

"Don't worry about it. It was just a small cut and you should be a lot better by noon."

They stared and smiled at each other for a second, but as Genma's cheeks began to turn pink he returned to what he was doing.

"One more thing."

He looked up to her.

"Sure."

"He was talking about a bag you supposedly have."

His expression changed from childish to as serious as anyone can be. Then he seemed burdened and even worried, but it all went away and he returned to his usual goofy self.

"Wanna see it?"

He entered the living room with his white duffel bag. Kaoru had forgotten all about it, but she remembered seeing it when he first came to Kamiya Dojo. He also wore a strange white coat with belts on it back then. Genma placed the bag very carefully on the floor. Opened it with the same care and pulled a few long items from inside. It took her all of a minute to figure it out. They were swords, eight of them.

"Remember that sword collection I mentioned? This is it. A little small, sure, but worth more than most." He said very proud of himself.

They were all different somehow, some didn't even look like normal swords. She grabbed one and pulled it out of the sheath with an amazed look. The hilt had the shape of a snake, completely white except for the ruby eyes, real rubies. The blade was very sharp and completely black.

"Don't swing it."

She felt startled, as if a spell had been broken.

"It releases poison from the hilt toward the blade every time you swing that sword."

She quickly slid the blade into it's sheath again to avoid any accidents, but not without noticing a small crest near the sword guard. It looked like some sort of origami figurine, like a bird of some kind, not a crane, it was more like an owl.

"These are the last of the Masamune. Ever heard of them?"

"Not much."

"Not much to tell really, they were a family of blacksmiths that were all killed in a single night."

She couldn't help but be amazed.

"By who?"

"Nobody knows, but apparently they were thieves, since all of their weapons disappeared. That assassin I told you about, he's the last of them."

Her throat tightened a little. She had spent the last few days as if nothing important was happening. The fact that Kenshin's life was at stake had totally slipped her mind. What was wrong with her?

"But." She asked. "What does he want with Kenshin?"

"I believe he thinks that Kenshin's sword is one of his family's, after all he IS traveling around retrieving them."

There was something strange in his tone. He seemed irritated somehow. Like she had done something wrong or she was bothering him somehow. But unlike many other times she felt uncharacteristically bad, she felt sad for some reason.

"Sorry." He said in a lower, tamed tone

She looked back at him.

"It's just that I didn't get much sleep last night and I m a little bit jumpy."

A wave of relief flooded her body. It felt awkward though.

Kaoru quickly grabbed another sword to shake away that feeling. It was very heavy and even though the hilt was normal sized, the sheath was abnormally thick, like five inches thick. Even quicker did he snatch it away from between her fingers, scaring her.

"Sorry, it's just that I don't want you to get hurt."

He grabbed the hilt with his left hand and the sheath with the other.

"When this sword's blade vibrates it emits a sound that disturbs a person's senses when heard. It can make you dizzy, disoriented, your eyesight gets distorted and you may even get sick to your stomach. Most people only get the symptoms, but a delicate flower like yourself could actually get hurt."

He could fell his cheeks changing in color again, but this time he spent no effort trying to hide it, as hers changed ever so slightly as well.

"Cover your ears."

And so she did. As soon as Kaoru placed her hands over her ears Genma began to pull the sword slowly from within the sheath. The origami crest was visible, but on that one it was different. It didn't look like anything she'd seen before. Not origami, but a word. Love.

Genma suddenly stood up and stepped beside the door, holding the sword tightly, as if prepared to attack someone. He said something to her, but she didn't get it.

"What?" She asked uncovering her ears.

"I said that there's someone outside walking toward us, probably a woman, not too tall, thin, probably mature…"

"How can you tell?"

"Weighs about 100 pounds approximately…"

"HEY!"

He looked at Kaoru with a surprised look.

"How can you tell?"

"Her footsteps, can't you hear them?"

She shook her head, more confused than ever.

"It's probably Megumi."

"Friend of yours?" He asked raising one eyebrow.

After Kaoru nodded Genma seemed to relax a little, as he eased his grip on the sword. He turned to sit beside Kaoru while still looking outside. As he did this, she couldn't help but noticing a long line of stitches on the left side of his torso and a strange necklace he hadn't been wearing any of the other days he had spent there. It was a simple black colored string with a long, slightly curved, ivory colored object tied to it. It sort of looked like a bone, or so she thought.

The front door slid open and Megumi stepped inside. However her eyes shifted toward Genma and before even greeting anyone she found herself staring at Genma's bare chest.

"Nice to meet you too?" Genma said sarcastically.

Apparently Genma's comment did not have the desired effect, since Megumi simply walked toward Kaoru and greeted her, seemingly unfazed by his sarcastic remark.

"Genma, don't be rude."

He couldn't help but feel awkward, being scolded by a girl younger than him. Paradoxically though, it made him feel like he belonged.

"My apologies, Miss Megumi." He extended his hand. "My name is Genma, pleased to meet you."

She took his hand without saying anything.

"My, nice grip." She said.

Genma's eyes widened for some reason. Not surprise, it looked more like worry. That without mentioning how awkwardly uncomfortable he felt at that moment.

"Well…" He said pulling his hand away from hers. "About time I left to do something productive."

"Where are you going?" Kaoru asked but apparently he didn't hear her since he just disappeared into the building.

* * *

The area in which he was wasn't very clear. He didn't even know where he was. But he kept walking anyway. How long had it been? Hours, days, seconds? No way to be sure. As he continued to press on the ground began to shake. Not an earthquake, just zigzagging. He fell on his knees for a moment. Then he opened his eyes…

Yahiko woke up and there he was. Genma hovered above him with that creepy grin of his.

"Rise and shine kid! You've got training!"

The boy turned around and resumed sleep, mumbling something but Genma didn't quite get.

Annoyed, Genma grabbed the collar of Yahiko's top and lifted him like you would a kitty and took him outside, walking past Kaoru and Megumi but not even looking at them. He even seemed to rush a little in their presence. He dropped Yahiko on the floor which woke him up again. He started complaining, but Genma seemed too busy trying to figure out how the hell this kid could sleep while being carried all over the dojo.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Yahiko asked furious.

"I already told you, you have training today."

"Says who?!"

"Kaoru didn't tell you?"

The boy shook his head in confusion. Suddenly Genma just burst into an uncontrollable laughter, clutching his gut and struggling not to fall off of his feet.

"What's so funny?" Yahiko said making no effort to hide his anger.

"Must've been weird carrying those around all day for no reason."

Yahiko didn't say anything, but his confused expression let it all out.

"Thing is…I kinda sorta took over your training."

But nothing happened. It was strange, he was expecting Yahiko to get mad, yell a little, and throw one thing or two at him. Instead he just stood there looking at his bracelets.

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

"I forgot I had these on."

"I mean about taking over your training."

"Not bad, I was getting bored anyway."

Not quite the answer he was expecting. Nevertheless, Genma couldn't help but feel aroused by Yahiko's attitude toward pushing himself past his limit.

Not being able to hide his smile, Genma rushed inside and came out holding his duffel bag just as fast. Just as he was opening it however, Misao was passing through. He felt pulled, he had screwed up big time the night before and the guilt was crushing him. Without giving it much thought, he walked to her, at least to say hi. The moment he touched her, however, she drove an elbow to his ribs with as much anger as anyone could put into such a move. After that, she simply walked away, ignoring the fact that Genma fell on his knees and clutched his torso in pain.

Yahiko rushed to his side.

"You okay?!"

"I'm fine."

Contrary to his words though, Genma clenched his teeth, winced and was sweating a lot. He was in deep pain. More troubling so, when the boy tried to help him up he noticed that his master's hand was drenched in blood.

"You're bleeding!"

"It's nothing; get back to your training."

"But…"

"NOW!" He yelled at Yahiko, who simply stepped out of his visual range.

* * *

"So, who is he?" Megumi asked with a devilish look on her eye.

"Just a friend."

"Oh, really?"

They stared at each other for a few moments. Kaoru had to choose her words carefully, otherwise she would never hear the end of it.

"Kenshin now about him?"

What followed was Megumi's devious laughter. Little did Kaoru know about the expression on her face. A large thump came from the entrance, but she didn't give it much thought, she was more worried about the position in which she was at that moment.

"Sorry for that."

It was Genma's voice, tired and broken. There was something about it that made Kaoru forget about everything else. Whatever it was, it made her head turn toward the entrance, although not toward the prettiest of sights. There he was, Genma standing at the door, his right hand on the left side of his torso, his fingers digging into his skin. To make it worse, almost all of his right side had a bright red glow, like it was covered in a mantle stained with fresh blood. There was no mantle, but that didn't stop that ghastly color from enveloping his arm, leg and part of the floor as well.

A loud shriek filled the room as he walked by, but then there was nothing but darkness, sweet, silent and comforting darkness.


	15. Chapter 14: Beaten

**Broken**

**Chapter 14: Beaten**

"So every time anybody screws up you end up paying for it?"

Kenshin simply nodded while sipping from his tea.

"And that doesn't bother you at all?"

He shook his head this time.

"Man, you're weird."

Kenshin put his cup down and began to speak.

"Not really."

Guy looked at him with a confused look.

"It makes me feel like I belong there. That there's people in which I can trust and vice-versa."

Guy started laughing for no apparent reason. Not a mocking laugh, more like a satisfied laugh.

"You pay to much attention to the little things."

Now it was Kenshin who was confused.

"I'll explain later." He let out a big yawn.

* * *

It had been many hours since they last spoke to each other. Darkness had already enveloped the environment, but Kenshin could not help but keep watch during the night, after all Guy's safety was his responsibility now.

From behind some trees, a pair of brothers stood silently, keeping a close eye on those two strangers. The crippled one had fallen fast asleep, but the one with the sword still sat there like a freaking zombie. How many hours had it been? One? Five? No way to tell, but his persistence to stay awake was admirable.

"Dammit bro, how long have we been watching this guy just sitting there?"

The one in the right side of the tree turned his head to look at his brother and whispered back at him.

"Not sure."

"I say we ambush him right now."

The one on the left took a step forward, but his brother's grip on his arm advised him otherwise.

"Dammit you'll blow our cover! I say we wait until he falls asleep."

"Why? There's two of us and only one of them."

"Yeah, but he's got a sword, which means that he might now how to use it and who knows how good is he."

"Could he really be that good?" He asked taking a quick glance at Kenshin.

"No clue, but better safe than sorry."

The one on the left let out a deep sigh.

"Fine."

They both shuffled in their positions until they were standing the same way they were before. However when they looked things were slightly different.

"Um, bro?"

"Yes?"

"Do you see what I see?"

He nodded.

"Where IS the guy with the sword?"

They looked at each other for roughly two seconds in absolute silence.

"DAMMIT!"

The one on the right leaped back and fell, hurting his left elbow. A sudden gust of wind whooshed above him, barely missing him and hit his brother on his head, smashing him against the tree and causing him to fall unconscious.

He rushed to his feet and drew his sword. But there was no one around except for his unconscious brother.

"Where are you? Why don't you show your face you coward!?"

He yelled into the darkness, but no reply came to his ears.

"I wasn't the one crawled up behind a tree."

He turned around by pivoting in his left foot, never lowering his guard, and there he was, that strange man they were looking at. He had the cold stare of a warrior, probably a killer, but he couldn't be sure due to the lack of light.

"Who are you?" He asked with a surprisingly calm voice.

Maybe this man wasn't as vicious as he first thought.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't want any trouble; I just want to know why were you spying on us."

"Then why'd you do that for!?" he said pointing with his chin to his still passed out brother.

"It was either you or me."

A heavy silence roamed the field temporarily, yet the standing brother never let his sword down.

"Just tell me." Said that man who seemed less aggressive with every word that he spoke.

At last, he lowered his sword, but not his guard. Nothing changed around him. He sheathed his sword and let out a sigh.

* * *

The sun hit his face hard, he had no choice but to wake up. After a good stretch he felt a sharp sting on his leg. That's when everything came back to him.

He had been on the verge of death after his entire squad had been killed. Then he met the legendary Hitokiri Battosai and somehow ended up traveling to Tokyo with him. There was also Masamune 100. but there was something wrong with the picture in front of him. There were two other men in front of his. They were identical except for the bloodied bandage wrapped around the head of one of them.

"Morning." Said Kenshin as his usual cheerful self.

Sometimes it was hard to believe that this man was the most feared assassin in all of Japan during the Bakumatsu.

Guy sat down beside Kenshin and grabbed a small loaf of bread, still looking at the brothers. One of them ate, the one with the bandage, while the other one just sat there returning the look. He stretched his hand toward Guy.

"Hi, I'm Ikazuchi no Kogoro and he's my brother, Denkou no Kimaro."

"Miyamoto Guy." He said shaking Kogoro's hand.

Then Kogoro turned toward Kenshin and it was as if Guy didn't exist.

"As I was saying, Due to that incident a few days ago we received orders to tighten our security and attack any strangers that do not have any official business with the village."

"Isn't that a little paranoid?" Kenshin asked with obvious interest.

"At first I thought so, but we encountered a strange fellow about two days ago that we believe might be the one responsible for that massacre."

That seemed o peak Guy's interest, after all he was the only survivor of a recent massacre and they weren't too far away from where it happened.

"Well." Kenshin said with a 'lucky you' kind of tone. "My friend here happens to be the only survivor of the incident."

They WERE talking about Masamune.

Kogoro gave Guy a strange look, doubtful even.

"You remember how he looked like?" Kogoro asked with the same dubious look on his face.

Guy could barely remember, but he nodded anyway. Kogoro shifted in his seat so he could face Guy completely.

"How was the guy you encountered?" Guy asked feeling useful for the first time in a while.

"Well, he was tall, long black air, slightly pale skin, clear eyes and a built physique. He wore a long, belted white coat, black pants with a yellow sash and wooden sandals."

Guy stroked his chin and immersed himself in thought for a few seconds. He could feel the gaze of those around him burning into his skull, even Kimaro's, who had at some point stopped eating but he couldn't really tell when.

"Well?" Kimaro said growing impatient.

Even their voices were exactly alike. Although Kimaro's was a bit more emotional.

"Did he wear a mask?"

The brothers shook their heads in unison.

"Did he have a double-bladed sword?"

"Can't say, he fought us with a pair of twin blades, but he DID have an abnormally large sheath on his back, plus a duffel bag filled with a bunch of swords."

He thought again for a few more seconds.

"It could be him but I can't say for sure."

"Why is that?"

"Well, for starters you two fought him and yet you are unscathed. Masamune killed a whole clan of ninjas with only one attack AND the only survivor came out heavily injured."

"He didn't really seem to want to kill us, but even so we never stood a chance against him."

"How so?"

* * *

Author's Note: Just like before, the next chapter is a flashback. Enjoy.

Peace and Love people!!! Peace and love…


	16. Chapter 15: Slashed

**Broken**

**Chapter 15: Slashed**

Three people stood beneath the unforgiving sun. Kogoro on one side, Kimaro on the other and a large man in the middle. He was one of the largest, buffest man Kogoro had ever seen. Even with that strange white coat he could tell.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Asked Kogoro in his most menacing tone.

"I just want lodging for a few days until the waters calm down a little." Replied the man the brothers had surrounded.

"No can do." Spoke Kimaro.

"He's right." Kogoro added. "There's been some shady characters running around these parts lately. We can't just let you in on our village."

Both brothers drew their swords at the exact same time.

"I'll ask you nicely one last time." He continued. "Go away or else."

But he just stood there, as if he hadn't heard Ikazuchi no Kogoro's warning. The young swordsman shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

The twin brothers charged at the tall man at the same time and speed. Kogoro slid through the floor an attacked his knees while Kimaro jumped and attacked his shoulders. Both blades went right through their opponent's flesh, yet none seemed to damage him.

"What the…"

But he was never allowed to finish that sentence.

The tall warrior kicked Kogoro on his face, knocking him back while driving his elbow into Kimaro's forehead.

The stranger gently place a white duffel bag he had been carrying all along on the floor and pulled a pair of identical katana. The only difference was that one had a steel blue colored blade while the other one had a yellow-orange glow on it. After a good look Kogoro noticed the small origami shaped crest on the lower part of the blade. Both Masamune no doubt.

"I won't ask you twice."

The man's usually calm attitude suddenly turned vicious and bloodthirsty. But they couldn't just abandon their orders. Despite their fear, the brothers decided to stay and fight, no matter what the outcome. They both attacked relentlessly, complementing each others attacks in a nearly flawless choreographic style. But all their efforts were for naught since their opponent somehow managed to block all of them and even repel them on a number of occasions.

They were getting tired and still no blows had been landed so the brothers decided to use their secret technique. Kogoro grabbed Kimaro by his wrist and hurled him upward with amazing strength. The point was to both attack at the same time with two completely different moves, making it impossible for the opponent to block them. Most of the time enemies just stand there, wondering what should they do until it is too late, but this one didn't. Not only did he retaliate, unlike all of the others, but he was much faster than they expected.

A massive booming sound filled the air along with a blinding flash so bright that Kogoro had to stop until his eyes settled down.

His head thumped hard, but at least he could see clearly after a few seconds. The coated man stood exactly where he was before. A trail of dirt extended from his side though, straight toward a large boulder. At it's end, Kimaro lay unconscious with his clothes and skin badly burned and large bruises all over.

"DAMN YOU!!!" Kogoro yelled at him filled with rage.

He gripped his sword and ran toward the tall man. As soon as he took the first step, however, his foe had somehow already reached him and performed a massive battojutsu with his yellow sword on his stomach. Blood oozed, but out of his mouth, not his torso, since the yellow sword wasn't sharp. Didn't even seem to have a blade. The blue sword however, was sharp on both sides. More frightening still, it was coming at him at a speed nothing short of inhuman. The blade hit the back of the previous one, delivering an impressive jolt of pain that swept Kogoro off of his feet. The guy was so fast that before Kogoro moved even an inch he pivoted on his left foot and performed the same attack on Kogoro's back, stopping his movement. Then as a finishing strike he slid his foot through the ground, sweeping Kogoro off of his feet again and as he fell, attacked with both swords at the same time, sending him flying for a few yards until he finally crashed down unconscious right beside his brother.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." He spoke a he sheathed the last of his swords.

The mysterious man walked a few steps, hung his white duffel bag on his shoulder and disappeared into the forest.

* * *

Author's Note: Whatcha think people?! You know, I'm so used to you guys not reviewing that I actually don't care anymore. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it.

PEACE AND LOVE PEOPLE!!! Peace and love…


	17. Chapter 16: Scarred

**Broken**

**Chapter 16: Scarred**

Guy thought deeply about Kogoro's story and his experience with Masamune. In a way, it seemed like him, but in a way it also seemed like a completely different person.

"Any time now." Kimaro said oozing impatience through every possible hole in his body.

He was very irritating, as rude and impatient as a little kid, so far the only thing that made the twins different. It was sort of like Kogoro was the older one, instead of both being the same age.

"I'm not sure, it could be him but there's no way to be sure."

Kimaro snorted.

"Some help you turned out to be."

Reaching his limit, Guy's eyes rolled toward Kimaro.

"Do you have a problem, boy?" Guy's tone seemed different harsh even.

"Well, you've given us nothing but a whole bunch of useless, overrated crap." Kimaro replied matching his tone.

"Why don't you come and say that to my face?"

They both stood up; Guy had to struggle a little, but managed to anyway; and faced each other, almost breathing down each others' throats. They gnarled like wild animals and the tension between them was as a powder keg that would blow up in any minute.

But before the fuse went off Kogoro stepped in the middle, separating them, and faced his 'younger' brother.

"Stop it!"

"Do you realize how much trouble these two can cause us?!" Kimaro growled at his brother.

"Even so, they are trying to help us, PLUS Mr. Himura here spared us. The least we could do is show them some respect and hospitality!"

"Who cares about things like that anymore!"

"I DO AND YOU SHOULD TOO YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!"

Guy and Kenshin simply stared idly. It seemed more like a parent-child argument rather than a brothers' one.

"GO TO HELL! YOU'RE NOT DAD SO WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO YOU!!"

A Kimaro turned to leave, Kogoro held his shoulder. In a single movement, the 'younger' twin turned and popped the other one on his face, knocking him back and breaking out of his grip. After that he stormed away and into the forest.

* * *

Kenshin helped Kogoro get back on his feet. He wiped off a trickle of blood from his chin with the back of his hand, still looking toward where Kimaro used to be just seconds ago.

"Sorry for that." Guy said, full of guilt.

"Don't let it trouble you." Kogoro replied as calm as possible. "He's always been like that ever since mom and dad passed away."

"But still, I…"

The young swordsman cut him off by lifting his palm.

He sighed and began to gather his stuff.

"I have to go, who knows what stupidity my brother will do during his tantrum." Spoken as if it was an everyday thing.

"You'll be alright?" Kenshin naturally asked.

"Yeah, he's headed for our village so it should be safe."

And with a bow, turned to leave. After a few yards, however, he stopped and looked over your shoulder.

"Although, you might want to come; after all it IS where the House of Masamune used to be."

* * *

Kimaro stomped through the thick woods, mumbling to himself. He didn't care about anything. With a grunt, he punched a nearby tree. The pain felt good, better than one would expect. He punched again. Along with the jolt of pain rising through his arm, a sudden rush of adrenaline filled his insides, feeding already increasing fury. Before he knew it he was lashing at the tree's trunk like there was no tomorrow. It felt good, but not right. It wasn't supposed to be a piece of wood. It was supposed to be the man who killed his father. It wasn't supposed to be his own blood dripping from his hands, but rather that man's pouring down like rain on the grass.

His jaw hurt, probably from grinding his teeth so much. His hands were drenched with his own vital fluids, though he could not care less. Only one thing mattered right now. At first he thought his brother would help, but apparently the time was never going to come. Only one thing mattered to him. Not that stupid stuck up brother. Not that useless bunch they encountered. Not that swordsman who had promised them a chance of retribution. No, only one simple, very basic thing. He craved it, he needed it, but more importantly, he was going to get it no matter the cost. His revenge would soon be complete.

* * *

Author's Note: I know it's short people, but my time is as well. I really liked that last paragraph though, couldn't have been more psychotically obsessive. I like psychos, it's nice to work with 'em in my stories. You'll always find one so get used to it.

Anyway, PEACE AND LOVE PEOPLE!! Peace and Love…


End file.
